Bag and cartridge filter systems for liquid filtration are well known in the art and generally comprise a cylindrically shaped filter vessel typically closed at one end, with a removable or openable cap at the other end. Inlet and outlet conduits are connected to the vessel for delivering liquid to be filtered thereto and for removing filtered liquid therefrom. Replaceable filter elements are arranged within the cylindrical vessel in order to filter liquids entering the vessel. Typically bag filters consist of filter media having an open upper end and a closed bottom. The filter bag is usually supported within the vessel within an open mesh tubular basket or cage which is typically suspended within the housing. The basket is intended to support the media of the filter bag to prevent it from bursting as the bag fills with liquid. An example of such a well known filter bag arrangement is shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,285,814 and 4,669,167. Typical cartridge filters consist of a filter medium (such as filter paper) which is frequently pleated and in which the edges of the medium are brought together to form a cylindrical configuration with the pleats extending either axially or longitudinally. The edges are typically joined together with an adhesive, stitching or other means to maintain the cylindrical configuration. It is also common for the pleated media to be supported by a perforated cylindrical outer cage. End caps are typically received on either end of the filter element with appropriate adhesive being applied between the end caps and the media. One of the end caps has a central opening such that fluid passing radially through the filter media is allowed to flow through the opening to an outlet passage in the housing. Fluid to be filtered typically enters the housing so that it is caused to pass from the outside of the cylindrical configuration radially through the filter medium to the interior space in the center of the cylindrical configuration and then out through an opening in an end cap. An example of such a cartridge is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,465. Filter cartridges of the foregoing type have become quite popular.
One disadvantage of the popular cartridge is that the flow of liquid to be filtered is from the outside of the element to its inner core resulting in dirt or contaminants remaining behind in the housing when the cartridge element is removed from its housing for replacement. Filter bag arrangements have numerous advantages over cartridge systems. One such advantage is that the liquid to be filtered enters the filter bag at its open end so that the liquid can pass through the porous side-walls of the bag and filtered liquid can exit the filter vessel from the space between the outer bag surface and the inner wall of the vessel. In this manner dirt or contaminants can be contained within the bag and easily removed upon opening the vessel, allowing replacement with a clean filter bag. However, this typical arrangement presents a number of severe limitations which inhibits the use of bag filters for certain applications. These limitations relate to the fact that bag filter vessels are typically larger than cartridge housings, but the bag filter elements provide only a limited active filtration surface area and limited life. Bag filters also have a large volume of liquid within the enclosed volume of the bag. If the contours and shape of the bottom of the bag filter does not exactly coincide with the contours and shape of the retaining basket, filter bags will have a tendency to burst as a result of the large volume of liquid which it contains. As a result, most bag filter media can not be manufactured from high efficiency filtration media which is usually more delicate than the more coarse filter media typically used in liquid filter bags. The typical filter bag is also difficult to insert and remove from the vessel as it has no rigid structure other than possibly a retaining ring at the open top end. Filter bags rarely provide a reliable bypass seal even when constructed with elastomeric sealing members at the open top end.
Because filter bags have a large holding volume for liquid, removal of a used bag is quite difficult since the bag is typically filled with liquid, which makes the bag heavy and may contain hazardous substances. In order to alleviate this situation, evacuation balloons are frequently used inside the bags to reduce the liquid holding capacity. Handling of such balloons, however, is cumbersome and usually does not overcome this problem. A well known conventional filter bag designated as a “#2” has a liquid holding capacity of 4.3 gallons. Depending upon the specific gravity of the liquid within the bag, a full bag could weigh thirty pounds or more. This is difficult to remove from the filter vessel and since the removal of such a bag from the vessel typically involves contact with a side wall of the vessel, breakage of the bag during removal is not uncommon. This invariably results in contamination of the area around the vessel.
When the typical bag is inserted into a cylindrical or conical basket, the bottom of the bag is required to conform to the shape of the basket in three dimensions even though the bag may be manufactured from flat media, i.e., two dimensional. As a result, the filter bags rarely, if ever, fit correctly into the bottom of the basket. To overcome this problem, manufacturers have usually produced oversized bags, longer than the basket, in order to permit forcing of the bottom surface of the bag into the entire contour of the basket. As a result, much of the filter media tends to fold over onto itself and render much of the filter surface unusable. If the filter media is not fully seated in the basket it usually results in the bag bursting along the bottom of the bag as a result of the liquid pressure on the bottom surface.
There have been numerous attempts to design variations of the bag filter in order to minimize the liquid holding capacity while increasing the filtration surface area. One such design is shown in Smith U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,379. In the Smith patent a filter bag design has two rings of different diameters. The outer ring is affixed to the top of the body of the vessel, while the inner ring is seated within the outer ring and generally located on a plane below the outer ring in order to form an annularly shaped filter bag that is continuous from the outer to the inner ring. The particular shape of the annular filter bag provides more available surface than the conventional filter bag but it is difficult to produce as it requires manufacture of a complex shape and it does not provide for positive support of the filtration media within a basket. The Smith design typically involves a sleeve made from a single piece of material which is turned inward to form the inner filter. This results in relatively sharp corners which are difficult to insert into the basket. The Smith bag is not positively supported in a retaining basket and is thus also prone to bursting. It is not uncommon to require the use of a special tool in order to insert this type of bag into a vessel.
Other variations of this design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,485 which proposes a triangularly shaped filter; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,529 which discloses a cylindrically shaped filter bag which includes a retaining bottom end cap. This is intended to overcome the problem of fitting a filter bag into a basket but does not result in any increased filtration filter area.
It is accordingly a general object of the invention to provide a filter bag and filter bag assembly intended to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. It is another general object of the invention to provide a filter element assembly, using the principals of the invention to overcome many of the disadvantages of the bag systems and other disadvantages of the cartridge system.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a filter element assembly which has at least two cylindrically shaped and concentrically arranged filter sleeves, each connected at one end thereof to an inlet plate, which inlet plate has means to permit entry of liquid to be filtered into the annular space between the filter sleeves. Each sleeve is connected at its other end to a closed end plate preventing flow of unfiltered liquid from the annular space between the sleeves so as to force the liquid through the porous media of the sleeves to effect filtration.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a filter assembly which achieves increased dirt holding capacity and increased filtration surface area while minimizing liquid capacity.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a liquid filtration element usable in bag filter type vessels which will permit the use of a second stage filter element within the same housing.
A further object of the invention is to provide a liquid filter assembly for use in bag filter systems permitting inline, inlet and outlet conduits, such as commonly used in cartridge systems.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a liquid filter element assembly for use in cartridge filter systems so that dirt or contaminants are retained in the annular space between the filter sleeves and thus removed from the housing when the filter element is removed.
The above objects, features and advantages, along with other objects, features and advantages will become more apparent from the detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings to be described more fully hereinafter.